Shoulder Injury and how to cope with it?

This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jun 2013
309
75
420
Read 6 reviews
Summer has came where i am living and i have been playing table tennis almost everyday now for about 4 hours a day. I do take breaks in between those 4 hours though;however, i would say that every time i play, i like to go "all out" on all my shots. As of now, my right shoulder hurts a bit when ever i try looping. Is there any recommendations as to how i can heal to this?
 
says ok, I will go back and make sure you have access. Be...
says ok, I will go back and make sure you have access. Be...
Well-Known Member
Nov 2010
3,568
5,931
10,356
Read 8 reviews
Yes. Rest or it will become chronic.

So instead of going "all out" all the time, work on your BH, or practice your serves or short game or whatever, but stop doing the thing that is giving you a chronic overuse injury. Think of it as a way to really improve the other parts of your game.

It is the only way that will for sure help you. You could also try reshaping your big shots, but it's hard to say if that will help without watching you. It might even make it worse.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: UpSideDownCarl
I had this problem about a month after returning to play table tennis. I was not rotating my waist and letting my whole body goes through the ball when all out the way I should. I've used some stretches, heat and cold and it improved really quickly just correcting my strokes.

Now I'm suffering with tennis elbow :(
 
This user has no status.
it's a bit inflammated (inflammed ?) because of overexertion. So you have 2 possibilities. 1. Go to the sportdoctor of your trust and get a cortisone injection with depot painkiller and wait 2-3 days. 2. Take rest for 2-4 weeks and go to the physiotherapist and do everyday gymnastics for it (what you also should actually do with option 1 and also if you dont have pain (if you would have done it in the first place you would now not suffer from shoulderpain lazy b*tch))
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Dec 2010
3,779
4,569
16,162
I will tell you how I think, I think its a blessing in disguise because its telling me I am not rotating my waist enough , using weight transfer properly , not having a loose forearm and snapping it etc. etc. So what I would do is trying to make my stroke compact. Along with that I will make sure I loosen up the shoulder muscles before I play ( refer to the other thread where Carl has posted them ) and I will do cool down stretches afterwards ... if you take care of your body after your session and try to refine your technique , you will find a way out. But if you keep doing the same things that you are doing now, it will only get worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Archosaurus
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Super Moderator
Dec 2010
16,146
17,686
54,748
Read 11 reviews
Baal's suggestion is pretty good. TT_Rogue's idea of a physical therapist is also a good idea. Rotator cuff strengthening exercises are worth doing. For a repetitive stress condition that is moving towards being chronic, the right time to stretch it is not while the shoulder is still in pain. A few weeks after the shoulder starts feeling better, then stretches will be worth while.

But it is also time to learn how to do a forehand without any upper arm, all from the elbow and body. When your shoulder is better you will be able to add the upper arm back in safely and you will probably never bother your shoulder again because your mechanics will have improved so much you will not believe the difference.

With a repetitive stress condition, stopping the movement that has created the repetitive stress is an important part of helping your body to heal the condition.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: JeffM and ttmonster
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Jan 2015
1,021
1,344
4,808
Read 8 reviews
When you say it hurts a bit when looping, does it hurt when you swing your arm back or forward, or is it in general when you abduct your elbow? (gives an idea about which tendon may be affected)
Do you remember whether there is an incidence where you might have played a big shot and put your shoulder in an awkward / painful position, and since then you have pain when you loop? (possible tear / dislocation)

I'm not a health professional, but the commonest shoulder injury is rotator cuff tendonopathy, which can either be tendonitis (inflammation), a tear in a tendon or impingement under the acromion.
For rotator cuff tendonopathy, from GP perspective:
Rest during acute painful phase
Analgesics and NSAIDs (up to 4 weeks)
Corticosteroid injection if no tear
Physiotherapy - scapular stablising exercises and rotator cuff strengthening
 
  • Like
Reactions: ttmonster
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
Well-Known Member
Sep 2011
12,822
13,217
30,396
Read 27 reviews
For a muscle or tendon tear, I'm not so keen on drugs of any kind.

À Far Infrared heat device will help get more blood flow and heal you faster if you are not ripping it up again. You can get one from amazon for 100 bucks. Once you heal enough, go to Carl's strengening suggestions.

Tendons get much less blood flow and take considerably longer to heal than muscles.

I keep seeing more and more rotator cuff tears with tt players, I really think the new poly ball is a big factor.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: ttmonster
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Super Moderator
Dec 2010
16,146
17,686
54,748
Read 11 reviews
@ Der_Echte: It is worth knowing that a repetitive stress injury is not the same kind of injury as the kind of rotator cuff tear that you had. You need to treat it a little differently. But the heat thing, that still would have its usefulness.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Dec 2015
38
20
64
From my experience most of the players lift their elbow to high while playing for hand topspin. This gives a lot of stress to the shoulder.
Learning the correct technique helped my shoulder pain a lot.
 
Top